Hilary Putnam: "No sane person should believe that something is subjective merely because it cannot be settled beyond controversy."
By MikeGermann
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Birth
Hilary Whitehall Putnam was born on July 31, 1926, in Chicago, Illinois. -
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Higher Education
Putnam studied philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, receiving his B.A. degree and becoming a member of the Philomathean Society, the oldest continually-existing collegiate literary society in the United States.(3) He went on to do graduate work in philosophy at Harvard University(4) and later at UCLA's Philosophy Department, where he received his Ph.D. in 1951 for a dissertation entitled The Meaning of the Concept of Probability in Application to Finite Sequences. -
Functionalism
In the late 1960's, Putnam revealed his ideas on Functionalism, a theoretical level between the physical implementation and behavioral output(1). He broke his concept down into several different kinds:
1. Machine-state functionalism
2. Psycho-functionalism
3. Analytic functionalism
4. Homouncular functionalism
5. Mechanistic functionalism Eventually, Putnam would go to to formulate his own objections to this concept with the "Twin Earth" thought experiment.(2) -
Classical Computational Theory of Mind
Hilary Putnam introduces classical computational theory of mind into philosophy. He contrasted his position with logical behaviorism and type-identity theory. -
The Meaning of Meaning
Putnam explains his reference theory of meaning, also known collectively as semantic externalism, views meaning to be equivalent to those things in the world that are actually connected to signs(6). Putnam explains his concept using the "Twin Earth" thought experiment to illustrate that the meaning of terms are determined by factors outside the mind. Click for video (7) -
Elected President of the APA
In 1976, Putnam was elected President of the American Philosophical Association. The following year, he was selected as Walter Beverly Pearson Professor of Mathematical Logic, in recognition of his contributions to the philosophy of logic and mathematics.(5) -
Death
On March 13, 2016, Hilary Putnam was laid to rest at the age of 89 years, in Arlington, Massachusetts.
